Online Payment Processing: WiPay
WiPay’s mission since it’s inception in 2016 was to solve the challenges the Caribbean has been facing with digital payments and the lack of ‘financial inclusion’.
Since then it has positioned itself around ‘Payments built for the Caribbean’, allowing customers to accept cards, create payment links, scan QR codes, and get paid directly to their local bank account.
What’s
Under the
Hood
On This Page
About WiPay
WiPay’s stated mission is to provide accessible, secure, and efficient payment solutions that empower businesses and individuals throughout what they refer to as Payment Territories, to foster economic growth and financial inclusion via:
- Accessibility for all businesses
- Secure payment infrastructure
- Regional financial integration
- Innovation in financial technology
How it Works
WiPay operates as payment aggregator and is not a gateway, in that they do any processing themselves. When a customer hits Checkout, the URL changes from the online store’s URL and the browser redirects to what’s called the Hosted Payment Page (HPP) on their gateway’s secure server to enter the credit card number.
The process is the same for all WiPay accounts and the funds collected from multiple transactions on behalf of the various online stores are deposited to WiPay’s merchant account, That’s the ‘aggregate’ from which WiPay distributes net funds (i.e. minus the processing and transaction fees) to each merchant which will be reflected in their WiPay balance. That balance can be withdrawn to the merchant’s bank account that was specified on sign-up.
Who It's Best For
WiPay is generally well suited for:
- Small to mid-sized businesses launching their first online store
- Businesses focused primarily on Caribbean customers
- Merchants seeking a locally operated payment platform
- Businesses wanting relatively simple onboarding
- Online stores with moderate transaction volume
It may be less suitable for:
- Businesses focused heavily on international USD sales
- Very high transaction-volume enterprises
- Businesses needing complex global payment features
Platforms & Technical Compatibility
WiPay has their own native plugin to connect to WooCommerce. A plug-in for Shopify is available but from a third party provider, for which they state that it is not officially developed or endorsed by WiPay.
This is interesting as it would be expected that they would have their own plug-in/extensions for all popular platforms, but they don’t; they only provide their API that any developer can use to write their own extension.
However, though no plug-in is available, WiPay does provide documentation on their website for integrations with:
- Wix
- OpenCart
- Magento
Key Features
WiPay has their own merchant dashboard where they can:
- Track payments
- View transaction history
- Monitor sales activity
- Initiate withdrawals
Other features:
Fees & Costs
WiPay is free to set-up and there are no monthly fees. There business model is earning via the transaction fees. And because they hold collected funds from all clients in their own bank account while merchant withdrawals are pending, they will also earn interest on that.
To summarize fees:
- No set-up fee, open a free account online
- Processing fee from 3.5% of order value
- Transaction fee (from $.75 USD)
- No Monthly maintenance fee
- Withdrawal fee $5 TTD per withdrawal
Also note Forward Multimedia’s integration fee is separate.
Integration Process
Once your WiPay merchant account is active:
- You provide us with your merchant API keys generated from your account.
- We install and configure the WiPay plug-in within your WooCommerce store.
- Test transactions are performed in the system.
- Live processing is activated.
- Final checkout testing is completed before launch.
Typical integration time after receiving credentials:
3–5 business days.
Sign-Up & Approval Process
You don’t need to go through a bank to sign up for WiPay; sign up is e online via their website and is free. WiPay has a KYC- Know Your Customer requirement for businesses, so additional documents need to be uploaded. Businesses typically need to provide:
- Business registration documents
- Identification for company directors
- Banking information
- Business description
- Website or sales platform details
Once theses docs are approved, merchants can then proceed to download the plug-in and enable on their site.
Advantages & Considerations
Advantages
- Developed specifically for Caribbean businesses
- Easier onboarding compared to some international gateways
- Local brand familiarity
- Flexible payment link options
- Suitable for startups and small businesses
Considerations
- International recognition may be lower than global gateways
- Settlement processes depend on banking arrangements
- Some advanced features may require custom configuration
Support
WiPay has a poor record of customer support. Payment-related issues are generally handled through:
- WiPay merchant support
- The merchant’s bank (for settlement matters)
- Forward Multimedia (for checkout integration or technical configuration)
If payment failures occur, we typically help identify whether the issue is gateway-related or technical.
Summary & Recommendation
WiPay is one of the most accessible payment gateways available to businesses in Trinidad & Tobago and the wider Caribbean.
It provides a locally focused payment infrastructure that works well for startups, small businesses, and companies launching their first online store.
If you’re looking for a regional payment solution with simpler onboarding than some international gateways, WiPay is often a strong option.
Still Have Questions?
If you still have any questions about .TT domains, send us a message or check out our knowledgebase.